


A Long Walk

by gautiercheesegratin



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Adventure, Azure Moon - Freeform, Blue Lions Route, Established Relationship, I just love them, M/M, Other, Post-Canon, Post-Time Skip, Soft Husbands, Soft older Felix, Soft older Sylvain, flashbacks are mostly canon compliant, okay??
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2019-11-17
Packaged: 2021-01-08 02:16:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21228140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gautiercheesegratin/pseuds/gautiercheesegratin
Summary: When Byleth turns up missing, Sylvain and Felix test their parenting skills when Dimitri leaves them in charge of his daughter.





	1. A Morning Visitor

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic ever but I am just really in love with them and want to explore an established relationship after the game so yeah here is the first chapter! Hope y’all enjoy!
> 
> My twit is @syd_ls

Chapter 1

Felix woke up to the feeling of Sylvain’s stubble nuzzling further into his neck, just like nearly every morning for the last ten years. It had been so long since the war against the Adrestian Empire ended, but it still seemed like yesterday that the two held each other in the imperial palace, crying tears of joy because they had both made it out alive. Normally Felix would be appalled at the thought of crying in public, but just that once he was okay with letting his guard down. The one person he loved most had made it through this goddess-forsaken war and to be honest, he couldn’t have held the tears back if he’d tried.

Ten years. Ten years of traveling back and forth between Fraldarius and Gautier territory, finding home wherever they happened to be together. Ten years of scarcely spending more than a fortnight away from Sylvain’s side. Ten years of bliss and peace that he never imagined he deserved let alone would receive.

“Feliblurglehmp,” Sylvain mumbled from the side of Felix’s neck. “Go back to sleep you idiot,” Felix cooed as he placed a gentle peck on the top of his husband’s mess of warm, red hair. Sylvain had changed since his days at the academy. His sharp tongue and ever-present scowl had faded into a softer expression. While he still had no mercy for fools or those who were cruel to others, he had started to show tenderness with those closest to him that they had not seen since they were children.

Sylvain had aged beautifully. His hair was shorter on the sides, but still brilliantly coiffed. The former playboy had grown much gentler in the years he had spent with Felix. He did not train very often, but his figure had still grown much more muscular. He was in the process of growing a beard, which complemented his strong jawline. In short, he looked dashing.

Felix, on the other hand, had hardly changed a bit over the last decade. He still wore his long locks in a loose ponytail. He had not relented in his training and was as lithe and muscular as ever. However, his purpose for staying strong had changed. Felix had largely worked through his anger at his father, at Dimitri, and at the senseless deaths of so many he loved. That anger was mostly gone, but he still wanted to be prepared should he or Sylvain ever have to fight again.

“I’m going to go find a suitable breakfast and hit the training grounds, I will see you soon,” Felix whispered. He pulled himself out of bed and immediately regretted it. They were in Fraldarius territory, sure, but it wasn’t much warmer than Gautier territory. Before he could even begin to get dressed, the Fraldarius retainer burst into the room. “Apologies, my lord. King Dimitri is here and needs to speak with you immediately.”

* * *

Felix and Sylvain dressed quickly and made their way into their sitting room where they found Dimitri sitting in silence, staring at the floor. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days. Dedue stood by the door opposite the room, also saying nothing. _Something is wrong, _Felix thought to himself. _If Dimitri were just making a social call, we would have sent word ahead of time and he wouldn’t have burst into our chambers before sunrise. There would be a dozen knights with him. Ingrid would be here. Isn’t Dedue supposed to be in Duscur? This doesn’t feel right._

After what seemed like an eternity, Dimitri looked up at the two.

“Byleth-- my beloved,” His voice cracked. “They are missing.”

Felix’s heart dropped. He would never have admitted it, but he was scared. Byleth was like family to him. They understood him, cared for his safety and the safety of others, and, unlike his father, saw him as a person who mattered. The thought of finding their dead body left a lump in his throat.

“They were visiting a town near Garreg Mach and never returned to the monastery. Seteth and Alois went searching for them and found that the town had been destroyed by… They reported that everyone in the village was dead and that they could not find the archbishop anywhere… I--- I.” Dimitri choked back tears.

After a moment, Sylvain approached the king and put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s going to be alright,” he said. “We will find them, I promise.”

“Thank you, Sylvain,” Dimitri said quietly.

“Why are you coming to us for a simple search-and-rescue mission? Surely ensuring the archbishop’s safety doesn’t have to be kept a secret from our allies. We need every knight available to be out searching for them. We have no idea where they could have been taken and they could be anywhere,” Felix inquired curtly.

“Oh no,” Dimitri said. “I approach the both of you for something far more important.”

Sylvain and Felix shared confused glances. “I’m sorry, what? Uh, Your Majesty? I am not really sure I believe that there’s something more important to you than Byleth’s safety. After all, we still remember how desperately you searched for them after the battle at Garreg Mach fifteen years ago,” Sylvain argued.

“His Majesty is referring to Her Highness.” Dedue stepped forward, guiding a young girl that was no doubt Dimitri and Byleth’s child.

Felix and Sylvain had received word of the birth of the princess, but in all their brief reunions with Dimitri and Byleth, she had never been present. “Are you serious,” Felix cut in. “What in the goddess’s name makes you think that _we _can take care of a child?!”

Sylvain squeezed Felix’s hand gently and gave one of his trademark sly winks. “We would be delighted to do whatever we can to protect her. After all, we’re like family!”

“Thank you, Sylvain,” Dimitri responded with true sincerity in his voice. “As you are well aware, the three of you cannot stay here. I am sending you to Almyra. Claude is not aware that you are coming, but as he said after we saved Derdriu all those years ago, he ‘owes me one.’”

“When do we leave,” Felix asked pointedly. “Also, why so far away? Wouldn’t keeping her here suffice? How long do you even expect this search to take?”

“Ah, well there is no way of knowing. We must take every precaution. I cannot lose my family,” Dimitri replied.

“I- understood,” Felix said. And that he did-- almost too well after losing Glenn, Rodrigue, and his mother. If anything ever happened to Sylvain, he wasn’t sure what he would do.

“Leave before dawn,” Dimitri said. “Dedue and I will take our leave right away. I must find my beloved as quickly as I can. I must keep my family safe.”

With that, Dimitri rose from his chair. He made his way over to his child, picked her up, and placed a gentle kiss on her mess of blonde hair. “Do promise me you will behave for your uncles, Adriana. Listen to everything they say, even if you do not want to. We will be together again soon. I promise it with all my heart” Dimitri led Adriana to Sylvain and Felix and with one final hug and nod, he left the chamber hurriedly while Dedue followed at his side.

Felix bent down in front of Adriana, giving a soft smile that was rare for anyone who wasn’t Sylvain. “So, has the Boar taught you to use a weapon yet?”


	2. Setting Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Dimitri and Dedue out searching for Byleth, Sylvain and Felix make their preparations for the journey ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 2! Sorry this took so long to update. I have been swamped with school work and my health has been bad. I'm really excited about where this story is headed and I hope you enjoy reading about older Sylvain/Felix as much as I love writing about them. :)
> 
> You can find me on Twitter: @syd_ls!

“FELIX HUGO FRALDARIUS SHE IS NINE YEARS OLD!”

“What? I need to know if she can defend herself,” Felix replied.

Adriana looked back at him with those same piercing eyes as his teacher had, so long ago. There was no doubt in parentage here. “Sir Gustave taught me how to use a sword, bow, and lance. Father has me train every day.”

“Wait here,” Felix said in a much softer tone. A few minutes later, he emerged with his prized sword of Zoltan. “Take this.”

“Okay, wait a minute, Felix. Ten minutes ago you were complaining about taking care of the kid and now you’re giving her one of your favorite swords?” Sylvain asked.

“What? I already told you she’ll need to protect herself. Might as well make sure she has a decent weapon,” Felix responded. “Speaking of which, we have some free time. Let’s go train for a while.”

“You two can take care of that. I’m going to go pack some food,” Sylvain said with a wink.

* * *

Sylvain made his way to the kitchen. By this time in the morning, the castle was bustling. He wondered if anyone knew that the king had been here; if anyone could sense his fear and urgency. No matter how many years had gone by, he was always happy to see the castle so full of life. When Sylvain and Felix had returned to the Fraldarius estate after the war, it was mostly empty. They knew how many had been displaced over that 5 years of conflict, so they decided to open the place up to anyone who needed somewhere to live.

The two of them had no interest in living in a castle with a hundred empty rooms and neither of them felt that it was fair that they got riches and luxurious housing while others suffered. So, they opened their doors to the public and Felix redistributed the majority of his inheritance.

By the time they were ready to visit Sylvain’s family, it had been a year since the war ended. It had taken Sylvain that long to work up the courage to return the Lance of Ruin and officially renounce his claim as the next Margrave Gautier. His father was furious and threatened to disown him, but Sylvain didn’t care. He refused to continue the vicious cycle of crest breeding and did not want to spend extended time away from Felix ever again.

In the time since, he and Felix had travelled together many times, but it had always been between the Fraldarius estate and the small cottage they had built for themselves in Gautier territory. They hadn’t travelled this far since they were students at the officer academy, and they’d definitely never had to watch over someone as young as Adriana.

He wasn’t really sure what kids liked.  _ Maybe if I bake some sweets she’ll warm up to me? Annette and Mercedes were always baking for the orphans at the Academy and it seemed to always work for them. Well, better dig out that recipe book Dedue and Ashe got us as a wedding present. _

* * *

Felix had always wondered what it would be like if he and Sylvain had adopted children. Caring for the royal princess while on the run from unknown danger, though, was not how he wanted to test the waters.

“Let’s see how well these old men trained you. Get in fighting stance,” Felix instructed.

Adriana may have been the child of two of the strongest fighters that Fodlan had ever seen, but she looked tiny holding the Zoltan sword. Felix felt guilty for having to prepare her for the possibility of fighting, that she may never see one of her parents again. She was just a child. She should be spending her days playing with her friends, not leaving her home without her family.

After a few hours of light training, Felix decided that would be enough for now. The sun was already starting to sink and they had a long journey ahead of them. He did not want to risk the child getting injured, lest he face Sylvain’s wrath. “Are you hungry? We can, uh, go get something to eat from the kitchen,” he asked.

Much like his husband, Felix had absolutely no clue how to take care of a child. Sure, he had often wondered what it would be like if he and Sylvain ever had a child, but he knew that would never happen. He didn’t want to risk breaking a child’s heart like his father had done to him after Glenn’s death.

“Sure,” Adriana responded. It wasn’t a long walk across the castle, the Fraldarius estate was a fraction of the size of Garreg Mach. Even still, the walk felt like an eternity with both of them moving in complete silence.

When Felix and Adriana arrived in the kitchens, they found Sylvain lovingly organizing dried meats, dried fruits, and soup powders. A painfully sweet smell assaulted Felix’s nose and Adriana seemed to perk up for the first time all day.

“Anyone want a sweet roll,” Sylvain asked. “Oh! Yes please, Uncle Sylvain!” Adriana responded, running up to the ovens. Sylvain beamed. “Uncle Sylvain, eh? I knew that sap loved us!” As soon as the sweet rolls left the oven, Adriana grabbed the three largest and began scarfing them down.

Felix made his way over to the pair, gave his husband’s hand a squeeze and left a light peck on his cheek. “We should probably go make our plans out of the castle residents’ earshot,” he suggested. Sylvain nodded in agreement. He packed up the remaining sweet rolls and provisions, and they headed back to their chambers.

* * *

That evening, they made their preparations for their journey. Since the sea was directly to the west, the three would have to travel south through Galatea territory before moving west through the Leicester Alliance. While they deliberated, Adriana slept on a large chaise at the foot of their bed.

“We should avoid visiting Lord Galatea, or any lord for that matter if we can. Even if we need the supplies. It could attract too much attention,” Sylvain said.

“I agree,” Felix started. “We should also consider wearing less flashy clothing. Wearing the colors of our houses may also invite questions. We can’t risk putting ourselves in danger. We both have coats in more neutral colors, so pack those instead. Half of Fodlan would recognize us if we traveled, dressed as we are now.”

“Yeah,” Sylvain laughed. “I guess we are quite a famous couple, huh?” And that they were. In the near-decade since they had gotten married, they had earned a surprisingly positive reputation with people across the continent as word of their egalitarian leadership, generosity, and genuine love for each other had spread. Two dashingly handsome knights forgoing tradition and giving everything they had to help their people? Happily ending their bloodlines so they could spend their lives together? They might as well have been a living fairy tale.

“I suppose we are,” Felix said with a sly smile, the tips of his ears turning crimson. After all these years, smiles from Felix were still an absolute delight to Sylvain.

Then, the mood changed. Sylvain let out a heavy sigh. For a rare moment, he looked tired and serious. “I still feel uneasy about all of this. I don’t know if taking Adriana out of Fodlan is a good idea.”

“I’m not sure it is either, but I’m sure His Majesty had his reasons for suggesting such a ridiculously far journey. It’s just-- we don’t know what enemy we’re facing. It’s like we’re running from a shadow,” Felix responded.

“C’mon Fe, let’s try to get some sleep.”

* * *

A few hours before dawn Sylvain, Felix, and Adriana made their way to the stables. It was early spring in Fodlan, but it was still quite cold in the north. The climate could be unforgiving at night and spring snows were common, so Sylvain and Felix wore several layers of clothing that they could shed as needed. Dimitri had anticipated the weather as well, sending Adriana with two coats and multiple bottom layers.

Provisions and layers were packed lightly as they did not want to give any indication of how far they would be travelling. They had even told their small staff that they were going on holiday to their cottage in Gautier territory.

Sylvain lifted Adriana up onto his horse while Felix tied their provisions to the side of his own horse.

Felix took one last look at his home and then began the journey south.

They spent the entire morning travelling through the Fraldarius woods in silence. Sylvain wondered if Adriana was scared or even really understood what was going on. If he wasn’t so nervous about drawing attention to themselves, he would be more of his usual self. But everyone in Fraldarius territory knew who they were, if they ran across anyone word would spread like wildfire that the famed knight couple were making the rounds.

Around midday, the three ran across another party also on horseback.

“Good day to you, sirs! And to you as well young miss,” one of the riders called out.

“Good morning,” Sylvain called out with an easy charm in his voice. Felix, on the other hand, shot a glance to his spouse and quietly moved his hand to the hilt of his sword. It was best to be prepared for anything.

“Can I ask what a young family is doing travelling through these woods so far from the roads?”

“Just taking advantage of the nice weather and heading south to see some family! We thought it would be nice to take our daughter on a trip to Galatea territory!”

“Ah I see! Well, good day to you my lords! Your highness”

_ Your highness?  _ The two thought as they looked at each other with great alarm?

Without time to react, a burst of Thoron hit Felix from his right and he fell from his horse. Everything went black.


End file.
